And here starts the actual story! Again, I warn of spoilers have you not followed Warcraft lore recently.
Rhynia had a natural affinity to the world around her. It was a second nature for her to be able to feel the spirits around her and, soon after she started her training, to be able to hear them aswell. The wind would whisper to her, coming with tidings from far away. The tree spirits would laugh around her when she went to the woods, happy to have a new, young soul with them. And the times she left the shadows of Teldrassil with her shando, the sunlight would caress her skin gently, coaxing her to join the beings of the day.
It was the times like these that made her work hard on learning the druidic arts. Young for a night elf, she had barely reached her third century and had been a pleasant find for her fellow druids. She was a good pupil, most of them thought, if maybe too meak, especially when it came to the druids of the wild.
She didn't have the ferocious quality many shapeshifters had about them. No doubt she'd be able to shapeshift when the time came to learn, but as she was now she couldn't blend her mind to the animal insincts like necessary to be able to bring out all the animal skills.
A few months had passed and the betrayal of Staghelm had been revealed. Malfurion Stormrage was back from the Dream, married to the leader of night elves Tyrande Whisperwind. Tarelya and Rhynia had joined the forces culling the remaining corruption of Teldrassil, Rhynia developing her growing skills with rabid speed. She had learned to gather the life force between her hands in a visible form, an offensive skill the druids referred to as Wrathof Nature. As the orb was pure energy, it could be used as an attacking spell. Tarelya had been pleased when she finally saw the smallest of sparks growing visible during one of Rhynia's countless attempts. She had been alarmed with the speed the young woman had been able to make the sparks grow . Now she seemingly mastered the founding of the spell and was working on her aim. At the speed she was going, she'd soon learn the basics of restoration arts. Tarelya had come to realise her pupil's strengths were within restoration and balance of nature.
Today Rhynia was on a quest to gather moonlilies from around the ponds in Shadowglen. Dirania Silvershine had sent her to collect them while taking care of her friend Iverron. The youngling had been bitten by the poisonous spiders in the northern caves he had been exploring despite all the warnings. Now they were in a hurry to gather antidote ingredients to cure him.
Picking up the last flower she put it in her pouch, stood up and stopped abruptly. The forest spirits were agitated by something. Death, death, death, destruction, watch out! The wind picked up while the tree spirits whispered. Rhynia had never seen them act like this. Whatever it was that was going to happen was going to be -
"ROAAAAAR!"
Never had she heard such a loud sound. The sudden chattering of birds and animals around her was lost to the thrumming in her ears. Shaken to the core of her being she started running back to the Oracle Tree when the whole of Teldrassil suddenly shook violently throwing her on the ground. She rolled to her side trying to stand up to no avail. Left to crawling she slowly made her way back through the panicked wildlife.
Looking up she saw numerous stormcrows taking up to the air and going through the thick branches of Teldrassil. The druids were going out to look for the source of distress. It felt like years passed while she crawled towards the Oracle tree. The deers and panther cubs were in a disarray, running all around her while birds were in the air flying back and forth. The spirits were no better, pushing her and telling her to hurry.
She was nearly back when the first druids made it back. They were a fluttering mess of feathers coming back to the ground, barely holding out their wings.
The first druid coming down shifted midair and collapsed to the ground in a pathetic heap. He gasped for breath while trying to explain of what had happened "It's... it was a huge, terrifying dragon, with black peltings around his spine. A tidal wave following, or caused, I don't know... Oh dear Elune, Auberdine! The town was completely destroyed! It was gone in seconds, Elune save us!"
Not many of the druids following him were in any better shape. The priestesses rushed over and tried soothing the distressed druids with their spells and prayers. The few sentinels guarding the place were grouping up, their commander giving brief orders. Group of them run off towards their mounts lounging about, sent to Darnassus Rhynia guessed almost absentmindedly. While Darnassus didn't need a warning - surely they hadn't missed something of this magnitude - they needed to make sure everything was alright in the capital and that orders could be given out. Only a handful of druids seemed capable enough to take flight again. She watched some of them receive blessings from the priestesses before taking off towards the ceiling of branches.
She tried to look for her shando in the mists of the panic and finally spotting her leaning against a rock big enough to support her back. Trying to stay on her feet - the remnants of the tidal wave still rocked the great tree - she made her way to the shando and collapsed on the ground. Tarelya directed her gaze towards her and gave a tired smile.
"Little Rhynia... I'm glad you do not know how to fly yet. That sight... everything gone in seconds... And the dragon, dear Elune, that dragon was terrifying. I could see the fire burning inside him. And the red, burning eyes..."
Rhynia was shaken by the horror displayed in her shando's eyes. She didn't know what to say, instead opting to stay silent and cuddling up next to her. "What's going to happen now?" She whispered quietly. Both of them were silent before Tarelya spoke up.
"Tomorrow you'll start your shapeshift training. Something big is happening, and I'm afraid this might be worse than the war in the Northrend. And unlike last time, this probably won't stay in just one continent. No", she said slowly after a pause, "it's not only your training. We'll have to leave for help of Auberdine. If there are any survivors they're going to need all the help they can get. Not tomorrow, but immediately." She released a shaky breath.
Rhynia nodded her head and after a few moments the two of them stood up. Having a priestess give them her blessing they set off towards their respective quarters to gather items necessary on the road towards Darnassus.
She was nearly back to her quarters when she remembered the flowers still waiting in her waist pouch.
